Novels

“You must stand up for your way of life in the forest and protect it against the dangers that menace it.”

Paul Gauthier heard the voice in his dream and woke to stare at the poster on the wall of his bedroom. The sad, angry eyes of the man on the poster looked down at him. It was as if the poster had come alive.

The man in the poster is Louis Riel, and in this powerfully wrought historical novel by Jan Truss, Paul Gauthier has been chosen to play Riel in a school play at a time in his life when new menaces threaten the small Metis settlement where he lives with his family.

Convinced that such menaces can be fought with the same spirit that emboldened Riel, Paul and his young Indian friend Simon Buffalo set out to thwart a government plan to raze the settlement to make room for a new highway.

An essay by Jack Chambers complements the novel, weaving through it the parallel history of the Riel Rebellion of 1885, and the events and confrontations of another time.

That the spirit of Louis Riel lives on can be heard in the voices of the characters in this remarkable novel on every page; for as the essayist writes, “The spirit of Louis Riel is neither old-fashioned nor modern, but timeless.”

Sometimes even shamans get cranky. That was baby Wolverine’s misfortune — to be cursed by an out-of-sorts shaman frustrated by his own baby daughter’s incessant crying. Not only has shaman Paaliaq forbidden the future marriage of Wolverine to Breath, Paaliaq’s beautiful but teary baby girl, he has cursed Wolverine, banishing him when he becomes a young man. And even when a contrite Paaliaq later revokes the curse, the shaman’s even crankier magic animal will not. Now Wolverine finds himself stranded on a barren island, locked in a life-or-death struggle to return to his home, his family and a very special young girl.

Michael Kusugak, consummate storyteller and bestselling author,conjures up an Inuit tale of adventure, perseverance and first-time love shot through with humanity and humour. This is a story perfect for its pre-teen and Â’tween audience, where even the strong and the mighty have bad days, the bully gets his due and a dream can come true.

In the second volume of the Hannah trilogy, summer has arrived, and fourteen-year-old Hannah Anderson is excited about spending it with Max (who has been giving her stomach butterflies lately). But things are happening in Cowichan Bay that Hannah can't explain. When a mysterious accident leads her to a nest of starving eaglets, she meets Izzy Tate, a young Metis girl staying in the village for the summer. Why is Izzy so angry all the time, and is it just a coincidence that she is the spitting image of Yisella, the Cowichan girl Hannah met the summer she was twelve? Hannah has even more questions. Why is Jack, her raven friend of First Nation legend, bringing her unusual "gifts" in the middle of the night? Is it all connected to a ring of poachers who have apparently moved into the valley? The eaglets are in danger and so are the Roosevelt elk. And what's with the Orca 1, the supposedly abandoned tuna boat anchored out in the bay? After Hannah and Max make a grisly discovery in the woods, they know they must take action. When Izzy agrees to join them on a midnight kayak trip, the three discover the unspeakable poaching secret on the Orca 1, and they are soon in a fight for their lives and the lives of the endangered animals being hunted for their parts.

It's spring break, and 14-year-old Hannah Anderson is glad to be spending it with the "Coast-Is-Clear" program - a group committed to cleaning Pacific Rim National Park's beaches of debris leftover from the tragic Japanese tsunami of 2011. Soon after Hannah arrives on the west coast, Jack, her raven sidekick, finds a small object washed up in the surf: a strange glass ball marked with a glowing Japanese character. Immediately, unusual things start to happen, beginning with the arrival of the mysterious "Kimiko," a Japanese girl with a secret past. Kimiko, it turns out, is a kitsune fox whose magic depends on the glass ball she lost in the tsunami. As Kimiko works alongside Hannah and the other members of her crew, she becomes increasingly unhappy with her life as an immortal kistsune and longs to join a family of humans. Can Hannah and her trickster raven help to make it happen?

Juggling soccer, school, friends and family leaves John with little time for anything else. But one day at the local community center, following the sound of drums, he stumbles into an Indigenous dance class. Before he knows what's happening, John finds himself stumbling through beginner classes with a bunch of little girls, skipping soccer practice and letting his other responsibilities slide. When he attends a pow wow and witnesses a powerful performance, he realizes that he wants to be a dancer more than anything. But the nearest class for boys is at the Native Cultural Center in the city, and he still hasn't told his family or friends about his new passion. If he wants to dance, he will have to stop hiding. Between the mocking of his teammates and the hostility of the boys in his dance class, John must find a way to balance and embrace both the Irish and Cree sides of his heritage.

Raised on a reserve in northern Ontario, seventeen-year-old Joe Littlechief tries to be like the other guys. But Joe knows he's different -- he's more interested in guys than in any of the girls he knows. One night Joe makes a drunken pass at his best friend Benjy and, by the next morning, everyone on the rez is talking about Joe. His mother, a devout Christian, is horrified, and the kids who are supposed to be his friends make it clear there's no place for him in their circle, or even on the rez. Joe thinks about killing himself, but instead runs away to the city.

Alone and penniless on the streets of Toronto, Joe comes to identify with the Aboriginal idea of having two spirits, or combining both feminine and masculine identities in one person. He also begins to understand more about how his parents have been affected by their own experiences as children in residential schools -- something never discussed on the rez. And he realizes he has to come to terms with his two-spiritedness and find people who accept him for who he is.

This is a novel that reflects the complex realities faced by young LGBTQ and aboriginal youth today.

Old ways are pitted against new horrors in this compellingly crafted dystopian tale about a girl who is both healer and seer.Two hundred years from now, blood has become the most valuable commodity on the planet—especially the blood of aboriginal peoples, for it contains antibodies that protect them from the Plague ravaging the rest of the world.

Sixteen-year-old Cassandra Mercredi might be immune to Plague, but that doesn’t mean she’s safe—government forces are searching for those of aboriginal heritage to harvest their blood. When a search threatens Cassandra and her family, they flee to the Island: a mysterious and idyllic territory protected by the Band, a group of guerilla warriors—and by an enigmatic energy barrier that keeps outsiders out and the spirit world in. And though the village healer has taken her under her wing, and the tribal leader’s son into his heart, the creatures of the spirit world are angry, and they have chosen Cassandra to be their voice and instrument....

Incorporating the traditions of the First Peoples as well as the more familiar stories of Greek mythology and Arthurian legend, Shadows Cast by Stars is a haunting, beautifully written story that breathes new life into ancient customs.

Everyone knows a guy like Jared: the burnout kid in high school who sells weed cookies and has a scary mom who's often wasted and wielding some kind of weapon. Jared does smoke and drink too much, and he does make the best cookies in town, and his mom is a mess, but he's also a kid who has an immense capacity for compassion and an impulse to watch over people more than twice his age, and he can't rely on anyone for consistent love and support, except for his flatulent pit bull, Baby Killer (he calls her Baby)--and now she's dead.

Jared can't count on his mom to stay sober and stick around to take care of him. He can't rely on his dad to pay the bills and support his new wife and step-daughter. Jared is only sixteen but feels like he is the one who must stabilize his family's life, even look out for his elderly neighbours. But he struggles to keep everything afloat...and sometimes he blacks out. And he puzzles over why his maternal grandmother has never liked him, why she says he's the son of a trickster, that he isn't human. Mind you, ravens speak to him--even when he's not stoned.

Stories of Survival and Revenge presents
three action-packed Inuit folktales: the
stories of Nuliajuk, the mother of the sea
mammals; Kaugjagjuk, the mistreated
orphan who seeks revenge; and the
Nanurluk, an enormous polar bear many
times the size of a regular bear.
Written at a reading level of approximately
grade three, and an interest level suitable
for the 12+ age group, this book is a
perfect pick for reluctant and struggling
readers.
With comic book–inspired illustrations, this
book presents these folktales as they were meant to be experienced,
with all of the heart-pounding action and awe-inspiring creatures that
Inuit mythology has to offer.

Tom Longboat was one of the greatest marathon runners of all time and one of the best known athletes in the western world in the early 20th Century. Longboat was an Onondaga who grew up on the Six Nations reserve near Brantford, Ontario. He was an astonishing long-distance runner as an amateur, he set records as a professional, and he served as a dispatch runner during World War One. This book tells the story of one of Canada's greatest athletes.

This exhaustive story collection makes the rich tradition of Inuit storytelling accessible to the rest of Canada for the first time. From creation myths to animal fables, Unikkaaqtuat gives non-Inuit readers a thorough introduction to the world of Inuit traditional stories. This definitive collection of legends and myths is thoughtfully introduced and carefully annotated to provide the historical and cultural context in which to understand this rich oral tradition.

This moving tale of self-discovery takes place during the Oka uprising in the summer of 1990. Adopted as an infant, Carrie has always felt somehow out of place. Recurring dreams haut her, warning her that someone close to her is in danger...

When she discovers that her birth family is Mohawk living in Quebec, she makes the long journey and finally achieves the sense of home and belonging that had always eluded her.

$12.95

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Graphic Novels

Stone introduces Edwin, a young man who must discover his family's past if he is to have any future. Edwin learns of his ancestor Stone, a young Plains Cree man, who came of age in the early 19th century. Following a vision quest, Stone aspires to be like his older brother, Bear, a member of the Warrior Society. But when Bear is tragically killed during a Blackfoot raid, Stone, the best shot and rider in his encampment, must overcome his grief and avenge his brother's death. Only then can he begin a new life with his bride, Nahoway. It is Stone's story that drives Edwin to embark on his own quest.

Stone is the first book in the graphic novel series, 7 Generations. Forthcoming books in this series are:
Book 2: Scars, the story of the orphan White Cloud, set against the smallpox epidemic of 1870-1871.
Book 3: Ends/Begins, the story of Edwin's father, and the residential school saga.
Book 4: The Pact, a story of redemption, as father and his son reconcile their past and begin a new journey.

The year is 1870, and the last great smallpox epidemic is sweeping the prairies. After witnessing the death of his entire family, White Cloud, a young Plains Cree boy, summons the strength to deliver himself from the terrible disease and journey to a new home. Readers also reconnect with Edwin, a lost young man on his own quest who must summon his own courage and travel to confront the main source of his own despair. Scars is Book 2 in the graphic-novel series 7 Generations, which follows the story of one Aboriginal family from the early 19th century to the present day.

In 1964, two brothers are taken from the warm and loving care of their grandparents, and spirited away to a residential school, miles from home. James, assigned to manual work on the grounds, sees less and less of his younger brother, Thomas. James soon discovers the anguish that Thomas is living under, which leads to unspeakable tragedy. The pain and guilt that dogs James continues to affect his troubled son, Edwin (introduced in book 1). But a new understanding is dawning between them... Ends/Begins is book 3 in the graphic novel series 7 Generations. Other books in this series: Book 1: Stone tells the story of a young Plains Cree man in the early 19th century, who fulfills his destiny as a warrior as he avenges his brother's death.

Book 2: Scars, the story of the orphan White Cloud, set against the smallpox epidemic of 1870-1871.
Book 4: The Pact (forthcoming), a story of redemption, as James and his son, Edwin, reconcile their past and begin a new journey.

As the pain and loss of James's residential school experiences follow him into adulthood, his life spirals out of control. Haunted by guilt, he is unable to maintain a relationship with Lauren and their son Edwin. Edwin, mired in his own pain, tries to navigate past the desolation of his fatherless childhood. As James tries to heal himself he begins to realize that, somehow, he may save his son's life – as well as his own. When father and son finally meet, can they heal their shattered relationship, and themselves, or will it be too late?

The Pact is the final book in the 7 Generations series. Other books in the series include:

Book 1: Stone introduces Edwin, who learns of his ancestor Stone, a young Plains Cree man.

Book 2: Scars, the story of the orphan White Cloud, set against the smallpox epidemic of 1870-1871.

Book 3: Ends/Begins, the story of Edwin’s father, and the residential school saga.

A Blanket of Butterflies explores the journey of Shinobu, a mysterious stranger who visits Fort Smith, NWT, to retrieve his family’s samurai suit of armor and sword from the museum. When he discovers that his grandfather’s sword has been lost in a poker game to the man they call “Benny
the Bank,” he sets out to retrieve it, with the help of a young boy, Sonny, and his grandmother. Together, they face Benny and his men, Torchy, Sfen and the giant they call Flinch. This graphic novel, beautifully illustrated by Scott B. Henderson, explores the grace of family and the power of
the Great Mystery.

Three young men—Flinch, Bryce, and Rupert—have vandalized their community and are sent by its Elders to live nine months on the land as part of the circle sentencing process. There, the young men learn to take responsibility for their actions and acquire the humility required to return home. But, when they do return, will they be forgiven for what they’ve done?

Three Feathers explores the power and grace of restorative justice in one Northern community and the cultural legacy that can empower future generations.

Three Feathers is the third title in The Debwe Series. Created in the spirit of the Anishinaabe concept debwe (to speak the truth), The Debwe Series is a collection of exceptional Aboriginal writings from across Canada.

May, a young teenage girl, traverses the city streets, finding keepsakes in different places along her journey. When May and her kookum make these keepsakes into a necklace, it opens a world of danger and fantasy. While May fights against a terrible reality, she learns that there is strength in the spirit of those that have passed. But will that strength be able to save her? A story of tragedy and beauty, Will I See illuminates the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

$18.95

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Nonfiction

First Nations 101 is an easy to read primer that provides readers with a broad overview of the diverse and complex lives of First Nations people. It is packed with more than 70 subjects including veterans, youth, urbanization, child welfare, appropriate questions to ask a First Nations person, feminism, the medicine wheel, Two-spirit (LGBTQ), residential schools, the land bridge theory, and language preservation. Author Lynda Gray endeavors to leave readers with a better understanding of the shared history of First Nations and non-First Nations people, and ultimately calls upon all of us - individuals, communities, and governments - to play active roles in bringing about true reconciliation between First Nations and non-First Nations people.

288 pages

$20.00

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Anthology

A creature of myth and magic emerging from the mist-shrouded forests of the Northwest, Coyote appears as a creator, messenger, hero, trickster, fool or shapeshifter. Always on the lookout for fun, mischief or the opportunity to help humans, Coyote's encounters with gods, demons and the supernatural bring to life the rich cultural traditions of the Northwest peoples: * Coyote pierces the sky with his arrow and, with the help of Fox, steals fire from the people in the clouds * Trapped inside a large cedar tree, Coyote takes himself apart, putting each body part through an opening in the bark of the tree, then reassembles himself outside * Coyote helps Wolf rescue his wife from her kidnapper, the Great Whale * Once Coyote finished his work on earth, the Great Spirit placed him in a deep slumber; when the world needs him again, he will reappear and render his unique brand of mischief and spiritual rescue.

A powerful and visually stunning anthology from some of the most groundbreaking Native artists working in North America today.

Truly universal in its themes, Dreaming In Indian will shatter commonly held stereotypes and challenge readers to rethink their own place in the world. Divided into four sections, ‘Roots,’ ‘Battles,’ ‘Medicines,’ and ‘Dreamcatchers,’ this book offers readers a unique insight into a community often misunderstood and misrepresented by the mainstream media.

Emerging and established Native artists, including acclaimed author Joseph Boyden, renowned visual artist Bunky Echo Hawk, and stand-up comedian Ryan McMahon, contribute thoughtful and heartfelt pieces on their experiences growing up Indigenous, expressing them through such mediums as art, food, the written word, sport, dance, and fashion. Renowned chef Aaron Bear Robe, for example, explains how he introduces restaurant customers to his culture by reinventing traditional dishes. And in a dramatic photo spread, model Ashley Callingbull and photographer Thosh Collins reappropriate the trend of wearing ‘Native’ clothing.

Whether addressing the effects of residential schools, calling out bullies through personal manifestos, or simply citing hopes for the future, Dreaming In Indian refuses to shy away from difficult topics. Insightful, thought-provoking, and beautifully honest, this book will to appeal to young adult readers. An innovative and captivating design enhances each contribution and makes for a truly unique reading experience.

"The time for our own stories has arrived, our own written words, our own voices. It is through our stories that we discover our roots. They feed us. They make us strong." -Terri Mack (owner, Strong Nations Bookstore & Press)

Named as one of SLJ's Top Books of 2015, MOONSHOT The Indigenous Comics Collection brings together dozens of creators from across North America to contribute comic book stories showcasing the rich heritage and identity of indigenous storytelling.

From traditional stories to exciting new visions of the future, this softcover collection presents some of the finest comic book and graphic novel work on the continent. MOONSHOT is an incredible collection that will amaze, intrigue and entertain!